Yesterday, Qantas confirmed that a cyber incident occurred on a platform used by its contact centre to store the data of six million people. The data includes some customers’ names, email addresses, phone numbers, birth dates and frequent flyer numbers but credit card details, personal financial information and passport details are not held in this particular system.

The airline is yet to announce the volume of data that has been compromised but anticipates “it will be significant.” Qantas has assured that it is putting additional security measures in place to restrict access and improve monitoring and detection.

Qantas Group Chief Executive Officer Vanessa Hudson said:

“We sincerely apologise to our customers and we recognise the uncertainty this will cause. Our customers trust us with their personal information and we take that responsibility seriously. We are contacting our customers today and our focus is on providing them with the necessary support. We are working closely with the Federal Government’s National Cyber Security Coordinator, the Australian Cyber Security Centre and independent specialised cyber security experts.” 

This incident has no direct impact on Qantas’ operations but it highlights the importance of robust cybersecurity infrastructure in the industry. The industry-wide growing concern around cybersecurity was evident in SITA’s 2024 Air Transport IT Insights which found 66 per cent of airlines and 73 per cent of airports defined cybersecurity as one of their top three areas of focus.

With the threat landscape in cyberspace constantly evolving and attackers becoming increasingly sophisticated it is paramount the industry adopts a collaborative approach to tackling the challenge. This year’s Cybersecurity Summit (7th October) at World Aviation Festival will be exploring how the aviation industry can evolve its cybersecurity measures to keep up with new threats. Sessions will cover how to build a resilient cybersecurity chain as well as collaboration, testing, and shared threat intelligence. Speakers from easyJet, EUROCONTROL, RwandAir, Turkish Airlines, and more will be unpacking these themes to share practical insights and strategic approaches to strengthening cyber resilience across the industry. On the 9th, there will also be exciting main stage sessions with a CISO panel debating how the industry can embrace AI without compromising safety. 

To join us at World Aviation Festival, book your ticket now!

 

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